Live notes: Third round of THE TOUR Championship

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After shooting a 3-under 67, Sergio Garcia will take a three-shot lead into Sunday's final round.

THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola is the final stage of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, and PGATOUR.COM's crew is on the scene. We'll provide continuous coverage of Saturday's third round, so check back often.
THIRD ROUND: Leaderboard | PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | FedExCup points projection
KIM VS. GARCIA: Shot Tracker pairing | Kim scorecard | Garcia scorecard | The rematch

PLAYERS-TOUR DOUBLE (5:30 p.m. ET): Sergio Garcia is poised to become just the third player to ever win THE PLAYERS Championship and THE TOUR Championship in the same year.

Tom Kite pulled off the trick in 1989 and Jodie Mudd came back the next year and did the same.

When asked if he had ever heard of Mudd, Garcia replied: "No. Who the hell is that?"

Told he was the last guy to win the PLAYERS-TOUR double, Garcia replied with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Jodie."

PHIL IN BLACK (5:15 p.m. ET): Phil Mickelson polished off a round of 1-under 69, did a few interviews and then headed for Athens, Ga., to attend Saturday night's game between No. 3 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama.

Mickelson

The Arizona State product is a big football fan. And not to worry, he'll have plenty of time to sleep in Sunday after playing his way into the final group with Sergio Garcia, whom he trails by three strokes.

"I think it'll be interesting, two of the best teams in college football going at it," said Mickelson, who will tee off at 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday at East Lake as he attempts to win his third TOUR event of 2008.

Mickelson, who was wearing a black shirt, was told he was already dressed for the game since the Bulldogs are wearing all black between the hedges Saturday night. He stopped and looked down at his shirt and gray slacks.

"Yeah, I just wear black for other reasons," Mickelson said, grinning sheepishly. -- Helen Ross

SERGIO WITH 54-HOLE LEAD (4 p.m. ET): Sergio Garcia will take a 54-hole lead for the sixth time in his PGA TOUR career when he tees off in Sunday's final round of THE TOUR Championship.

Garcia is at 8 under, three shots ahead of Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim.

OH, THOSE TEE TIMES (3:25 p.m. ET): Anthony Kim just told NBC that he thought his tee time Saturday was at 11:55 a.m. Kim actually had a 11:25 tee time.

"I was a little thrown off," said Kim, who shot a 2-over 72 and is now three strokes behind Sergio Garcia going into the final round.

Just five other players recorded worse rounds than Kim's 72 on Saturday.

GARCIA, KIM DONE (3:20 p.m. ET): The rematch is over, and Sergio Garcia gets the nod this time.

Garcia outdueled his Ryder Cup opponent Anthony Kim in Saturday's third round, shooting a steady 3-under 67 to Kim's 2-over 72. As a result, Garcia has grabbed the 54-hole lead at THE TOUR Championship; he's 8 under, three shots ahead of Kim and Phil Mickelson, who shot a 1-under 69.

Garcia's 67 ties for the lowest score of the third round. Garcia's 65 on Friday was the lowest score of the second round.

Garcia and Mickelson will play in Sunday's final group, while Kim will play with fellow young gun Camilo Villegas in the penultimate group. Villegas shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday and is 3 under for the tournament.

MICKELSON IN WITH 69 (3:12 p.m. ET): Phil Mickelson just put the wraps on his third consecutive sub-70 round at East Lake, finishing with a 1-under 69 Saturday that puts him at 5 under for the tournament.

With Anthony Kim about to finish up his round at over par, Mickelson will be the only player in the 30-man field who will have recorded all three rounds under par.

GARCIA EXTENDS LEADS (3:07 p.m. ET): With one hole left to play, Sergio Garcia now has a three-shot lead over Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim.

Garcia recorded just the second birdie of the day at the 17th when he putted from off the fringe for a birdie from 17 feet.

Meanwhile, Kim dropped his second shot in three holes when he bogeyed the 16th. He's now at 5 under.

Earlier in the round, Kim held a three-shot lead over his playing partner Garcia after five holes.

TOUGH FINISH (2:53 p.m. ET): The final groups are now about to finish up, and they won't find the closing holes very hospitable.

The final three holes at East Lake have yielded just one birdie each on Saturday.

The par-4 17th has been the hardest hole on the course this week, while the par-4 16th and the par-3 18th also rank among the top five in difficulty.

GARCIA TAKES LEAD (2:40 p.m. ET): Sergio Garcia's third birdie of the day now has him at 7 under for the tournament and in sole possession of the lead.

Garcia birdied the par-5 15th after hitting his third shot to within 3-1/2 feet for his birdie.

Playing partner Anthony Kim hit his second shot into the intermediate rough past the hole, and failed to birdie from 9-1/2 feet. Kim is 6 under, one shot ahead of third-place Phil Mickelson, who just bogeyed the par-4 16th.

Just seven players in the 30-man field are currently under par for the tournament.

MICKELSON SHARES LEAD (2:30 p.m. ET): With a short birdie putt at the 15th, Phil Mickelson is now 6 under for the tournament, tied with Sergio Garcia and Anthony Kim.

The birdie was Mickelson's third of the day; he's currently 2 under for his round.

KIM BOGEYS (2:25 p.m. ET): Anthony Kim bogeyed the par-4 14th when he found the intermediate rough with his tee shot, then three-putted from 35 feet. That drops him back to 6 under and a share of the lead with Sergio Garcia.

GARCIA BOGEYS (2:15 p.m. ET): Sergio Garcia bogeyed the par-4 13th when he found the primary rough with his approach shot and couldn't save par. Garcia's first bogey of the day drops him one shot behind Anthony Kim, who remains at 7 under.

SCORING TITLE (2:10 p.m. ET): Along with THE TOUR Championship, the $1.26 million first prize and the possibility of a $3 million bonus for finishing second in the FedExCup, there's something else at stake this week: the TOUR scoring title.

Click here for a full report on why's vying for the Vardon Trophy and the Byron Nelson Award.

SINGH COMPLETES THIRD ROUND (2 p.m. ET): Vijay Singh is done with his third round, and is now just 18 holes away from claiming the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus.

Singh

Singh shot a 2-over 72 on Saturday, the best of his three rounds at East Lake this week. That leaves him at 9 over for the tournament. He's currently tied for 24th in the 30-man field.

For more on Vijay Singh at East Lake, click here for the Vijay Report.

FRONT-NINE IMPRESSIONS (1:56 p.m. ET): Give Sergio Garcia the advantage over Anthony Kim for the first nine holes, but the biggest factor in their Saturday duel may be the tough East Lake course.

Garcia was able to make up two strokes on the front side, thanks to a pair of birdies while Kim could manage just even par, hitting just two of seven fairways on the front side. Garcia and Kim began the back nine tied for the lead at 7 under.

It appears, though, that no contender in the field will be going really low today.

Of the players on the first page of the leaderboard, Robert Allenby is 3 under through 14, while Garcia and Ben Curtis are 2 under thus far. No other contender is better than 1 under for his round. Kenny Perry's 3-under 67 is the best round finished today.

BIT TOUGHER (1:36 p.m. ET): If the front nine is any indication, East Lake has toughened up a little bit since Friday.

With all the players having now made the turn, the third-round scoring average for the front nine is 35.200 strokes. That's higher than the 35.133 on the front nine Friday but lower than the 36.033 strokes averaged on the front side in Thursday's first round.

Of the finishers thus far, Kenny Perry's 3-under 67 is the lowest. No other player still on the course is better than 2 under.

FALCONS OWNER (1:20 p.m. ET): Wonder who is doing the public address announcing at the 18th green at East Lake? None other than Arthur Blank, who is the co-founder of the Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons.

Even though his Falcons do not play at home on Sunday, he doesn't have far to travel for their game -- Atlanta plays at the Carolina Panthers, about three hours up the road. -- Helen Ross

FAN HURT (1:15 p.m. ET): An errant tee shot by Anthony Kim on the ninth hole hit a fan. Paramedics quickly attended to the man, eventually taking him off in a stretcher -- but not before Kim, who was checking on the fan, gave him an autograph.

Kim parred the hole, dropping him into a tie for the lead with Sergio Garcia, who birdied the par-5 hole, at 7 under. It will be interesting to see how the 23-year-old Kim handles the situation the rest of his round.

WIRE TO WIRE (1:07 p.m. ET): If Anthony Kim goes to wire-to-wire with the lead this week, he will be just the third winner this year to achieve that feat -- but the second in consecutive Playoffs event..

K.J. Choi led after each round of the Sony Open in January, while Camilo Villegas went wire-to-wire at the BMW Championship earlier this month.

What are the percentages of winning after holding the lead in each round in 2008?

BOGEY-FREE FINALLY (12:52 p.m. ET): No player in the 30-man field had been able to record a bogey-free round in the first two days at East Lake. But Hunter Mahan finally pulled off the trick Saturday, shooting a 2-under 68 with birdies at the 10th and 18th hole.

Perhaps Mahan got all his bad holes out of his system in the first two days, as he had eight bogeys and two double bogeys. He'll enter Sunday's final round at 7 over for the tournament.

BIRDIE FOR GARCIA (12:47 p.m. ET): Sergio Garcia has his first birdie of the day, rolling in an 8-foot, 11-inch putt on the 434-yard par-4 seventh. That moves Garcia to 6 under for the tournament, one shot behind Anthony Kim.

BOGEY FOR KIM (12:40 p.m. ET): Anthony Kim has been making putts on top of Sergio Garcia all day long.

Kim gave one stroke back, though, when he hit his tee shot on the par-3 sixth hole into the water surrounding the green. Kim took his drop and wedged to 7 feet, then made the putt for bogey to move back to 7 under.

Garcia could have made it a two-stroke swing, but he was unable to convert his 36-footer for birdie. So Kim still leads the Spaniard and Phil Mickelson by two strokes. -- Helen Ross

KIM'S HOT PUTTER (12:30 p.m. ET): It's still early in his round, but Anthony Kim has the putter working for him today.

He holed a 22-foot, 3-inch birdie putt on the third hole, then saved par on the fourth hole with a putt of 27 feet, 9 inches.

Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia has already missed two birdie putts inside 12 feet.

PERRY IN AT 67 (12:15 p.m. ET): The first two days at East Lake weren't kind for Kenny Perry, who was 11 over after 36 holes. But the Ryder Cupper found his game Saturday, shooting a 3-under 67. At one point near the end of his front nine, Perry rolled in three straight birdie putts.

CINK'S PLAYOFF STRUGGLES (12:05 p.m. ET): Stewart Cink entered the Playoffs sixth in FedExCup points, but he's been going backward ever since.

A T38 finish at The Barclays left him ninth in points. A T33 finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship shoved him back to 11th. A T60 finish dropped him back to 15th.

And his struggles haven't stopped at East Lake. He opened THE TOUR Championship with rounds of 75 and 73, and is now 3 over on Saturday's round with five holes to play.

Of his first 14 rounds in this year's Playoffs, he has failed to break 70 in 11 of them. In Thursday's first round at East Lake, he hit just three of 14 fairways, a 21.4 percent clip, well below his season average of 56.34 percent that ranks 182nd on TOUR.

KIM DRAWS FIRST BLOOD (11:55 a.m. ET): Anthony Kim now has a three-shot lead thanks to a 22-foot, 3-inch birdie putt on the par-4 third hole. That moves Kim to 8 under. Sergio Garcia missed a birdie putt from 18 feet, 5 inches.

GARCIA CLOSE (11:45 a.m. ET): Sergio Garcia's tee shot at the 214-yard par-3 second hole landed 6 feet, 6 inches from the pin, the second closest shot of the day. But his birdie putt hit the lip of the cup and horseshoed out.

Anthony Kim remains two shots ahead, while Garcia is now tied for second with Phil Mickelson, who birdied the third hole to move to 5 under.

THEY'RE OFF (11:28 a.m. ET): The rematch has started between Anthony Kim and Sergio Garcia. Kim, hitting first off the tee thanks to his two-shot lead, hit a 306-yard drive that missed the fairway to the right. Garcia found the left edge of the fairway with his 280-yard drive.

You can follow their pairing on PGA TOUR Shot Tracker by clicking here.

GARCIA VS. KIM AT AGE 23 (11:15 a.m. ET): If you're looking at pure career statistics, it's obviously not fair to compare 28-year-old Sergio Garcia with 23-year-old Anthony Kim.

But as the two prepare to tee off in Saturday's third round (11:25 a.m. start), maybe it is worth taking a look at what Garcia had accomplished by the age of 23 and what Kim has accomplished thus far. Just a reminder, though -- Kim doesn't turn 24 until next June, so he'll have plenty of time to pump up his statistics.

WEARING BLACK (11:14 a.m. ET): A year ago, the Georgia Bulldogs, and 80,000 or so screaming fans, wore black jerseys and pants when they played -- and beat -- Auburn.

There will be a "blackout" encore Saturday night at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night when No. 3 Georgia hosts No. 8 Alabama in a battle of the unbeatens.

Georgia alums Ryuji Imada and Bubba Watson are adding to the hype Saturday during the third round of THE TOUR Championship. Imada is wearing a black shirt and pants, while Watson, who recently completed the requirements for his bachelor's degree at Georgia, sports a black shirt. -- Helen Ross

THIRD-ROUND AVERAGES (10:35 a.m. ET): If third-round scoring averages are any indication, expect Anthony Kim to extend his lead at THE TOUR Championship.

Just six players currently are under par through 36 holes at East Lake and only two of those, Kim and Mike Weir -- who is tied with K.J. Choi at 1 under -- have averaged under 70 in the third round this year.

The Canadian ranks 12th on TOUR with an average of 69.69 while Kim is 14th at 69.76. -- Helen Ross

BETTER START FOR VIJAY (10:05 a.m. ET): Vijay Singh has certainly not played as well as he'd like this week at East Lake.

In fact, the man who will win the FedExCup Sunday evening when he completes 72 holes is coming off his highest score ever on Bobby Jones' home course, a 74. The front nine has been his nemesis. Singh hasn't made a birdie there in the first two rounds, and is a cumulative 7 over on the front side.

Maybe Saturday will be different, though -- Singh parred the first hole for the first time this week. -- Helen Ross

KIM-GARCIA PAIRINGS (9:45 a.m. ET): Besides their Singles match at the Ryder Cup on Sunday, Anthony Kim and Sergio Garcia have been paired together in three rounds on the PGA TOUR prior to Saturday, when they will go out as the final twosome of the day at 11:25 a.m.

In those three previous pairings, Garcia has scored lower than Kim each time:

MICKELSON-VILLEGAS PAIRINGS (9:45 a.m. ET): Phil Mickelson and Camilo Villegas have been paired together in three rounds on the PGA TOUR prior to Saturday, when they will go out as the penultimate twosome of the day at 11:15 a.m.

In those three previous pairings, Mickelson has scored lower than Villegas two times:

HARDEST HOLE (9:30 a.m. ET): The 520-yard, par-4 fifth hole is the longest par-4 hole at East Lake, which helps to explain why it has been the most difficult hole on the course through the first two rounds.

The fifth has given up just seven birdies, and has accounted for almost as many bogeys and double bogeys (24) as pars (29).

Meanwhile, the easiest hole has been the 525-yard, par 5 15th, one of just two par-5s on the course.

Here's how the holes have ranked through the first two rounds:

WEATHER UPDATE (9 a.m. ET): The skies are sunny and the weather should be perfect all day. No precipitation is expected, and Northwest winds will be 5-10 mph, gusting to 15 mph.